TCL Tab 10s review: Not quite ready for its pen license

By Anula Wiwatowska

Last updated 28 January 2022

TCL 20 R 5G review: The Verdict

A tablet, for $400, with a stylus included? Seems like a good deal, right?

On paper, the TCL Tab 10s is great value, but the included stylus does nothing to improve the device. If anything, it highlights the pitfalls in TCL’s first tablet.

What we love

Great battery
Affordable, entry-level device
Games Mode helps to speed up device for gaming

What could be improved

Dull display
Slow performance
Poor stylus support

The essentials

Performance: Expect a gentle lag at all times
Battery: Great! About 12 hours of screen time
Screen: Low contrast, and makes viewing content look flat
Camera: Fit for purpose

70/100

RRP $399

Holding the TCL Tab 10s with stylus in tow, reminds me of the last few weeks of grade 3, when I was the only one left without a pen license. I thought it was ridiculous that everyone else could abandon their pencils, and I decided that I too was going to use pens. License be damned.

My unlicensed penmanship led to messy books full of smudges and scribbles that didn’t truly reflect the quality of work that I was doing. It was too hard to see through all the smudged ink.

The TCL Tab 10s has fallen into the same trap. The actual calibre of the tech is easily overlooked because of how unresponsive the included stylus is. TCL isn’t doing anything wrong. The Tab 10s lives up to what you’d expect from a $400 tablet, but it's just not quite ready for its pen (or stylus) license.

Writing in pencil

Fundamentally, I wish the Tab 10s didn’t come with a stylus. The tablet runs at a gentle lag when using your fingers on the touchscreen, but using the stylus practically showcases the slow performance. Just take a look at the delay in the gif below.

Drawing on my tablet is a simple hobby that I share with no one. I’m an advocate for enjoying the process, especially when it comes to art, but the stylus’ slow response made sketching on the Tab 10s unbearable. I would need to draw a line multiple times in order for it to join where I wanted it to, and because the device couldn’t pick up on the pressure of the pen I had to press down relatively hard the whole time. Something that should have taken me 10 minutes to sketch out ended up taking about an hour, and was far less refined than I would have liked. It just sapped the enjoyment out of the process.

The delayed response also makes handwriting in a notes app difficult. Rather than being able to quickly scribble down notes like you would on paper, my handwriting became a continuous, undulating line. The text ends up looking like a doctor’s scribble, but in saying that GBoard does a good job at figuring out what the trailing loops and lines are meant to say.

The thing is that the responsiveness of the display when you use your fingers is perfectly fine. It is a hair slow, just enough for you to notice, but not enough to be a deal-breaker when you consider the price. If the tablet hadn’t come with a stylus, then I never would have bothered downloading a drawing app. And if I hadn't downloaded a drawing app, and seen the delay in such fine detail I could have just chalked it up as a trade-off for the price.

After all, in theory, the Tab 10s is great value for a tablet and a stylus all in one. Samsung’s comparable tablet the Tab A8 doesn’t support S-Pen, and if you buy the cheapest iPad (9th gen) you’ll still need to fork out something extra for the Apple Pencil. Unfortunately, though, the stylus does nothing to upgrade the TCL Tab 10s.

Just like my third-grade teacher tried to warn me, just because you technically can do something doesn’t mean that it is going to give you the outcome that you want. While $400 is a bargain for a tablet, and a stylus I am adamant that the Tab 10s could have been a better device without it. Or it could have been a cheaper one at the very least.

Waiting for the ink to dry

So, let's just go ahead and revoke the self-proclaimed pen license TCL gave to itself, ignore the smudges on the page and look at the calibre of the work underneath it all.

At $400 outright, the TCL Tab 10s is an affordable and capable entertainment tablet. It doesn’t have the capacity to replace your laptop, but if you want something to watch Netflix on in bed or to play some basic games then this is a fine solution.

When it comes to streaming content, my only criticism is that the display is a little washed out. The quality of the picture itself isn't poor, but it lacks depth. You won’t get that wonderful crispness that comes with a high-contrast display and it can leave what you’re watching feeling flat.

Considering that TCL is a television brand first and foremost, I expected more from the display. On its phones, TCL uses a feature called NXT Vision, which essentially ups the contrast and vibrancy of photos taken from the device. If TCL could have interwoven this into the Tab 10s display then it could have helped to elevate the viewing experience to a higher level.

Just like any budget product, you’re going to encounter some trade-offs. The display isn’t as responsive as flagship tablet devices from Samsung or Apple, but it is still attuned enough to be able to handle basic games. Android will also automatically enable ‘Games Mode’ when you play, which closes background apps, and limits other apps’ network usage in order to release more RAM for the game to use. In our testing, using Games Mode does make a tangible difference to how well the Tab 10s responds to commands while playing. Would recommend, even if it does use a little more battery.

As it stands, the Tab 10s just isn’t powerful enough to fuel a vibrant 10.1-inch display, or to give you that immediate response that we’re all after. I would have preferred to see TCL abandon the stylus and the stylus support, and instead channel that money into a zippier processor. A $400 tablet with a beautiful display, and quick performance is more interesting than an average one that comes with a pen that doesn’t deliver.

I would have expected TCL to nail the basics - just like my year 3 teacher asked of me - before adding a pen to the toolkit. The manufacturer’s first tablet attempt is a bit slower, and more lacklustre than other devices on the market. Bundling in a stylus is a little bonus but it doesn't hide these issues. While adding a stylus (like writing in pen sans-license) might feel like a bold move, if you can’t pull it off, it is only to your detriment.

TCL Tab 10s - Final thoughts

Despite the stylus freebie, you’ll simply get what you pay for from the Tab 10s. A tablet that is a little bit slower than others, with a slightly dull display. It still does what you need it to do - you can play games, hammer out some notes, and binge-watch your favourite comfort show. And you can do it for a competitive price. Just don’t bother downloading any drawing apps.